Photos/Story By: John T. Carr
On Friday, August 12, 2000, at 2:15 p.m. Idaho Power Company employees found a fire burning
in a ravine near one of their power substations. The fire was located just off Idaho Route
26 East, near Route 31, in the Swan Valley. A call thru a power company dispatcher brought
firefighters from the Idaho Falls Fire Protection District.
Due to dangerous fire conditions firefighters from the BLM, USFS, and local departments
were dispatched in addition. Arriving firefighters, under the command of I. C. Joel
Gosswiller Jr., found approximately 25 acres of rangeland and brush burning.
The air temperature was 90 degrees and the relative humidity was in single digits.
With wind blowing at 10 -15 miles per hour to the northeat the fire was being pushed deep
into the steep ravine.
Fortunately for firefighters local farmers, who spotted the smoke from the fire, raced to
the fire on tractors and immediately began cutting fire breaks with their plows. This fire
break on the northside of the fire permitted firefighters to concentrate on the southern
flank of the fire.
At approximately 3:30 the wind increased dramatically causing the fire to explode into
the ravine. The fast moving fire began threatening several nearby ranches and structures.
Firefighters began setting backfires near a small gravel road in hopes of preventing the
fire from spreading beyond the ravine. If their efforts were not successful the fire would
have jumped the natural fire break and most certainly spread to many thousands of acres
and burning numerous homes and structures.
With the fire now burning fiercely in over 150 acres, additional assistance was summoned
thru the BLM. A bulldozer arrived and immediately began cutting a break between the fire
and a Cabin in the fire's path. Also an air tanker responded and dumped three loads of
fire retardant on the fire's flanks.
Ultimately the fire burned 450 acres. All structures were saved. The fire did burn to
within 50 feet of the cabin. Five strike teams responded to the fire bringing more than
8 brush engines, 6 structural engine, three tenders, the bulldozer and air tanker. At
least 50 firefighters fought the blaze with no injuries reported. It took more than 4
hours to halt the fire's spread and nearly 24 hours to extinguish all hot spots.
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